


Gunsmoke and Roses- A Trigun Drabble Collection

by Obcerveris



Category: Trigun
Genre: Angst, Drabble, Drabble Collection, Implied/Referenced Suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:53:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23901133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Obcerveris/pseuds/Obcerveris
Summary: This is a collection of oneshots and drabbles based on my favorite series: Trigun. Warning you that because the content of the manga was pretty graphic, there probably will be chapters that won't be suited for the faint of heart. I'll update tags for this as I go along.
Kudos: 8





	1. Goodbyes

Trigger Warnings for this drabble: Implied Suicide

Over the course of Vash's recovery, Knives had been doing a lot of thinking. After all he had all the time in the world now that he was hidden away from the humans that hunted him.

  
Was he truly in the wrong, he wondered. He wanted to free his sisters, so that they would no longer be slaves to the humans. So that another Tessla wouldn’t be born only to know cruelty and injustice, thought of as nothing more than an experiment, a play-thing to their scientists. That in itself wasn't wrong. He was successful, at least in part, after every living being hive-minded for a brief moment with the collective of Plants that had separated from his being. The humans had realized that Plants had been watching humanity, thinking, feeling, loving hating, just like them.

But was the cost worth it? After all, he was very much alone now. Vash would never forgive him. Things would never be the same as they were when they were children. He had caused Vash too much pain. He took away their mother, he took away their family, he took away their home. How could Vash ever forgive that?! He certainly wouldn’t. After all he held a grudge for 150 years (he thinks) after he learned of Tessla. What’s to stop Vash from doing the same? He left him alone anyway, killed him even.

The only people that he could have considered family were dead because of him. Elendira, coming to his side from such a young age, and almost whole heartedly believing in him and his goals, all because she wanted to watch the world burn and suffer as she did. Legato, a boy he spared because he saw Tessla in the child’s circumstances, the one who would follow him through thick and thin. Both were dead now. All because they thought he could lead them to the light and bring salvation to their souls. To make matters worse, he saw the fleeting memories of their souls in the hive mind when his sisters were ripped from him. He saw Legato looking at himself while he smiled gently at him and gave him words of encouragement to continue onward. He saw Elendira, pushed to her absolute limits, removing her bonds for him and fighting him with all her might, the fire in her eyes and determination to prove to him that she was worthy of his grace. The realization that he would no longer see them again, that they lay in some wasteland somewhere decaying, hit him hard.

Another thought passed through his mind. Suppose he had decided to stay with Vash, to travel around, always on the run from humanity. What then? Could he ever be happy? He shook his head. No probably not. What kind of life was it anyway to always be hiding from everything. To always be running away. Not a good one. Humans would never trust him. The relationship would feel forced between him and Vash. He could never truly atone for his crimes, and would just simply wither away and die.

He realized he couldn’t live like this. With himself, and with living a life in hiding. They could never forget his attrocities. He’d be the next Hitler in their annals of history. He had no control of anything. But the one thing he could control was himself. He decided he would let himself enter a last run, and give back to the humans who had been housing them. A final act of gratitude for healing his beloved brother, and an act of repentance for his sins.

Knives waited until he was sure that Vash was fully recovered, then slipped away to the backyard of the humans’ house. Their child had followed him out, curious as to what the strange man was doing. He turned around, and gave the child a small smile after being asked what he was doing. “Making amends. Don’t tell Vash.” He knew the kid would do it anyway. But he didn’t care. Knives opened his gate one last time and focused his energies on terraforming the land, verdant green trees sprouting around him, and lush grasses pushing their way out of the dusty earth. His body slowly warped itself into a tree, and he looked wistfully upon the house as Vash had exited. _“Goodbye Vash… I suppose you were right after all. Sorry for everything,”_ He thought as he felt the last of his consciousness slip away. _“I love you.”_


	2. Finally Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one-shot is a retelling of the final battle between Vash and Legato with my personal speculations on the character's actions, thoughts and feelings. Content Warning for Manga Spoilers, Violence, and Death.

A platinum-blonde man--Knives--was sitting on a bench in a room aboard the Ark. His expression was one of deep thought. He had been planning for this day ever since July. his anxiety was on edge, as things were reaching a climax. If he failed now, he had everything to lose. Everything that he’d been fighting for would be for naught.

  
A familiar slow creak followed by a dragging noise reverberated throughout the room, jolting Knives from his thoughts. He turned his head and looked at the source of the noise. It was his faithful servant Legato in his coffin that Knives himself had so carefully constructed. Legato looked worse than ever, Knives thought. He could see that his servant was in poor health, his skin sunken in, his skin pale and clammy, his hair clinging to the oil that was present on the skin. The man was a living reminder of how he fucked up and lost control. But Knives wouldn’t let himself dwell on this fact. Not when there’s much to be done.

He sighed, and turned to the crippled man before him.“What do you want, Legato?” he asked, sounding bored.

Legato was silent for a moment, contemplating his response.“Would you be mad like you were before, Master?” Legato asked, his voice quiet and his head hung low. He daren’t look Knives in the eye. Not yet.

“What do you mean?” Knives raised an eyebrow.

“If I were to try to kill him again?” Legato rephrased his question as He looked up from his mop of blue hair, “Would you be mad like you were before?”

Knives frowned briefly before replying with a question of his own, “Do you think you can?” his voice was quiet and hushed. “Do you _really_ think you can?” Knives asked again, louder and with more emphasis.

Legato’s jaw clenched, determination evident on his face. “ It is possible… If I put my loyalty up against his faith. Or…”

Knives grit his teeth briefly. Was he serious? Did Legato really think he was a match for his brother? The damn fool would get himself killed. And then what? He’d be alone. He had always been alone. But why did it matter to him so much that this imbecile wanted to throw his life away fighting his brother?Everyone would leave him anyway. He mentally shook himself. If the bastard wanted to die fighting Vash, fine. He couldn’t let himself be concerned with it. “Oh come on! You’re boring me,” He said as he yawned. Legato frowned in response. “ I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about your loyalty. When you no longer serve my purposes, you will disappear.” he yawned once more before his face turned terrible with anger. “Now heed my words, Bluesummers. Don’t you dare put us in the same category as those you have bound and imprisoned. _Those humans._ ” Vash wouldn’t go down as easily as Legato seemed to think they would. He couldn’t let him go into that fight cocky. After all, they were the superior species. No way would he be able to kill Vash.

Knives would be proven right of course, in due time.  
…………….  
Legato was bloodied, battered, and barely managed to stay upright. Vash had done a number on him, his skill impeccable. He knelt before Vash with a gun pressed to his head, and looked directly into his eyes. Legato had truly met his match. _“So this is what it’s like to fight a superior being,”_ he thought, feeling an odd sense of peace with the fact that he was going to die. He would gladly give his life if it meant accomplishing the one goal Knives had sent him to do: break Vash. He knew his body couldn’t hold out much longer; his health was failing, and he was dying. Might as well make his death mean something. Legato blinked, expecting the shot to come, bracing himself for the white hot pain of a bullet in the brain.

No noise came, no pain. The gun moved to the side. Vash had hesitated and his hands shook. Legato’s hands curled into fists and his heart filled with rage. Did Vash dare mock his efforts? After everything Legato had done to torment the man, it still wasn’t enough? No. It WILL be enough. Legato was determined to make it so. His pupils narrowed, and he practically screamed, “OH GIVE ME A BREAK!!!” As he grasped the gun and pressed it against his own head. “SHOOT! SHOOT, YOU FUCKING COWARD!” He goaded the raven haired plant before him. “After everything, you still choose to mock me! To mock my life!!! JUST FUCKING SHOOT ALREADY! END IT!”

He paused, before looking at Vash and smiling, an awful, sinister expression “How about I do it for you? After all… It’s your fault we’re in this situation.” He giggled a little. If it wasn’t for Vash destroying his master’s body, maybe, just maybe Legato would have had the recognition he so desperately sought From Knives. “You just had to go and mock me. Now… you’re going to lose an important companion right before your eyes.”  
He would test the Plant’s conviction. And if not, he would break him.  
“Shall I chop off his head? Split his skull in two? Rip out his still beating heart?” he queried, his mind racing with all sorts of malicious ideas for what to do to Livio, thinking of what would make Vash suffer the most. He would make Livio’s death brutal, and was determined to die trying.

Vash frowned in response.

“What, you think I can’t?” He threw back his head and laughed before placing the gun back on his head. The black haired man’s face looked fearful. “Oh, that’s right. My threads reach everywhere. Public servants. Rulers. The Rich. The religious who worship violence. Kids. Women. Even cats and dogs.” He paused for effect, letting his words sink in. “And of course… Your ‘allies’.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, concentrating on bringing a white haired man into view with his threads. The man was impaled on top of Elendira with one of her own nails. He briefly looked saddened by the sight of her corpse, but steeled his resolve. He would break this man, AND be free of this hellish place, if it was the last thing he did. He thought he heard his nemesis ask "why?" ever so softly. “Why? Why, you ask? You shouldn’t have to. I did it… so I can use them like this!” And with those words, an impaled Livio into view. Legato felt his enemy’s heart sink with despair and smiled. The man attempted to move for his ally. He laughed once more, “Stop. Don’t even move! My claws are lodged in his jugular. One move and a fountain of blood will gush out. He was a servant of the “Eye of Michael”... They may be a little harder to kill, but separating his head from his body should do the trick.”

“Stop… STOP IT!” Vash pleaded. He really didn’t want to have to kill Legato, It would break his promise to Rem. Her death would have meant nothing if he took a life. But what could Vash do to stop his blue haired foe? Vash felt helpless.

“Stop??? Really, now. I have no idea why you decided to ally yourself with him, but I’m sure it was worth it at the time…” He stared at the man, directly in his eyes. “Your convictions are admirable, but they’re just childish conceits.”

“Stop! Stop it now, Please!” Vash pleaded again. He was running out of time to act. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go at all. There was no Knives there to stop Legato from enacting his plan. He was screwed.

“When you’re up against the edge, they don’t amount to more than a pile of shit,” Legato continued. “The world’s moved by different forces. Now, MAKE YOUR DECISION, DREAMING SAINT.” He made Livio move his arms toward his neck, causing him to start to tear into it. It was the last straw, the final blow needed to push his enemy over the edge.  
The last thing he heard was a scream and a bang, followed by a sharp pain in his head.

Legato could no longer hear, and his consciousness was fading. The edges of his vision blurred. How long had passed since he was shot? Minutes? Hours? He didn’t know. His gaze turned skyward and he saw what he felt was the most beautiful angel in the sky. _Knives._ He swore that Knives smiled at him, told him he did good, and to let go. A part of him knew he was hallucinating, but he didn’t care. Logic was thrown out the window. His sole wish, to be useful and recognized by Knives came true in his mind. His eyes welled up with tears. Finally, his work was done. He could rest now in the cold yet comforting darkness. _Finally free._


End file.
